Stocks Rise on M&A News; Gold Hits Record Highs
Stocks advanced to kick off the holiday-shortened week following a flurry of M&A news. Traders are holding onto hopes for a year-end "Santa Claus rally" and anticipating softer monetary policy in the new year. Investors are also positioning ahead of key U.S. economic data releases expected later in the week, including GDP and consumer confidence figures that may influence early-2026 market direction.Gold, silver and other precious metals have climbed to record highs, supported by expectations of further rate cuts and safe-haven demand. Meanwhile, oil prices rallied against the background of mounting tensions between the U.S. and Venezuela and no firm sign of progress on efforts to end Russia's war with Ukraine.Markets this week are operating in a thin-liquidity environment, typical of the end of December, which can amplify price swings and volatility around any fresh news or geopolitical developments.Get caught up quickly on the top news and calls moving stocks with these five Top Five lists.1. STOCK NEWS:Paramount Skydanceamended its $30 per share offer for Warner Bros. Discovery, for which Larry Ellison has agreed to provide anof the equity financingCintassubmitted a new, $275 per shareUniFirstJanus Hendersonto befor $49 per shareClearwater Analyticsby a Permira and Warburg Pincus-led investor group for $24.55 per share in cashAlphabetannounced an, which provides data center and energy infrastructure solutions, for $4.75B in cash, plus the assumption of debt2. WALL STREET CALLS:Cumminsat Raymond James, marking second upgrade in as many sessionsLoopOllie's Bargain Outletto Buy after store tourRaymond JamesSealed Airto Market Perform from Strong BuyBNPLamb Westonon lack of earnings bottomWells FargoArcellxat Overweight on multiple myeloma potential3. AROUND THE WEB:Nvidiahas told Chinese customers it plans to begin shipping its second-most powerful AI chips to China before the mid-February Lunar New Year,AMD'sChina-compliant AI accelerator is nearing commercial rollout, with Chinese tech companies and cloud-service providers mulling orders,Uberand Lyftare partnering with Baiduto test out driverless taxis in the U.K. in 2026,In October, YouTubeTV viewers streamed over 700M hours of podcasts on their living room devices, nearly doubling the amount of time in the same period last year,Digital bank Erebor, co-founded by Anduril CEO Palmer Luckey, valued at over $4B in funding round,4. MOVERS:Velo3Dadvanced after entering into an Other Transition Agreement's Defense Innovation UnitAdeiagained after entering a long-term media IP license agreement with Disneyandfor FY25BlackSkyhigher after Jefferiescoverage of the stock with a Buy ratingStellantisfalls in New York afterCEO Antonio Filosa has warned Brussels failed to deliver a "clear roadmap for growth" in its revised climate policyFastenallower after announcing CEO Daniel Florness willfrom his role5. EARNINGS/GUIDANCE:Honeywellfor Q4 and FY261933 Industriesreported, with revenue lower year-over-yearEnnisreported, with CEO Keith Walters commenting, "Our performance for the quarter met our expectations"Sempra Energygavefor FY25 and FY26Amen Propertiesreported, with revenue lower year-over-yearINDEXES:The Dow rose 227.79, or 0.47%, to 48,362.68, the Nasdaq gained 121.21, or 0.52%, to 23,428.83, and the S&P 500 advanced 43.99, or 0.64%, to 6,878.49.